On the way back, the moon was dazzlingly bright, like the midday sun-well, not quite that exaggerated.
Shuo ambled along, kicking pebbles by his feet, loose and languid, without the slightest hurry.
Sai walked beside him, slowing his steps to match.
Neither spoke the whole way, but it wasn't awkward.
In Shuo's perception, though, Sai's breathing was half a beat slower than usual. It wasn't the slowness of relaxation; he was clearly tying himself in knots.
Only when they reached the dorm building did Shuo slowly stop. Leaning back against the wall, he asked casually, "What did your brother mean by that just now?"
Sai didn't answer immediately. He kept his head down, looking at the ground, his silver-gray hair coated in a faint sheen of moonlight, looking a little listless. After a long while, he finally squeezed out, "He told me not to go back."
"Oh..." Shuo drew out the word without asking more.
"He said... he wouldn't leave me alone, and then he left."
Sai's voice was as soft as a passing breeze.
Shuo said nothing. He reached into his pocket and took out the uneaten candy. Tiny particles of light gathered at his fingertips, and in a flash, he stripped off the wrapper and tossed the candy into his mouth.
As sweetness burst across his tongue, he clicked his tongue. "So sweet. Sickeningly sweet."
He chewed the candy, still leaning against the wall. Sai leaned against it too, and they stood side by side, both watching the moon.
Moonlight fell on Shuo's fingertips, mingling with those particles of light as they flickered.
"What are you planning to do?" Shuo asked indistinctly around his candy, without so much as glancing sideways.
Sai paused, his voice muffled. "I don't know."
"Still going back to Root?"
"I can't go back."